sV

Sometimes you come across an album which does fit into any neat category, one that makes you stop and think. So it is with Anxious Album, by sV, a German-born singer-songwriter of German and Ghanaian descent. “I created this album,” he states, “at the height of my depression, after years of not being able to create anything.” This record, he explains, is dedicated to his cousin, who passed three year ago. sV is far from the first artist to have fought mental illness through creativity, but you have to admire anyone who can put together an album under those circumstances.

Lead single “Questions [can u]” opens the set, a song which I'd previously reviewed on these pages. It's an immersive, intriguing track. sV's hushed yet impassioned vocals drift over a shifting backdrop of gentle piano, fuzzy echoes and static crackles. It makes for a haunting experience, but there's more than enough melody and style to keep you listening. “They Say” switches to acoustic guitar; a hypnotic, rolling riff providing a bedrock for sV's charming delivery. It's a lovely, folksy song with a distinctly modern pop aesthetic.

“Summer Snow” sparkles and crackles. R&B beats meet electric guitar arpeggios and synth tones. This is lush music, but sV leaves enough edge to set his sound aside from the mainstream. “Lite Water” returns to the meditative feel of the opening track, with more floating, hazy piano and finger-click percussion. Unexpectedly, the track widens out into quirky, sunny, territory. “Y do u” slows things down again, with reverberating strums and chords, wrapped up in echoing clouds. “Let's Go Somewhere” takes us out, a very likeable tune, refreshingly free from the bombast of much contemporary fare.

There's a lot to enjoy on Anxious Album. sV brings enough originality and surprising arrangements to make this thoughtful record a highly engaging listen.